1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to data processing services, and more specifically, to data traffic distribution among independent processing centers.
2. Technical Background
The electronic information service industry can be described in terms of client entities and server entities (though these roles are not mutually exclusive) joined by a computer network. Typically, the server entity (or “service provider”) offers processing services, such as data management/storage/retrieval, data configuration/manipulation, assessment/analysis, publication/distribution, monitoring/reporting/control, etc. To access the processing services of a server entity, client entities transmit processing requests (which may or may not include data) over the network for receipt and handling by a service entity. The service entity will typically be a business organization with its own primary processing center (sometimes referred to as a data center or data service center) including computing resources (e.g., servers, processors, memory, databases, software applications, etc.) configured to provide the given service(s). The client entity may be, for example, a private individual or another business organization with local computing resources (e.g., a smartphone, mobile device, personal computer, set top box, server, etc.) with application software configured to transmit processing requests as a client.
Consider the example of an organization operating as a service provider in a subscriber-based media distribution business. The number of incoming processing requests to such an organization's primary processing center can vary widely during the day. Such processing requests can come from client entities such as existing customers, potential new customers, employees, and business partners. To assure that incoming processing requests are serviced without bothersome delay (e.g., to avoid angering current customers and deterring potential customers), the primary processing center may be expanded to handle the increased data traffic and processing load requirements that are presented at peak hours. However, designing the organization's primary processing center to meet such requirements is often prohibitively expensive and inefficient, since the capacity is not needed most of the time.
Instead, many such service provider organizations now employ third party (3P) point-of-presence (POP) processing center solutions. The 3P-POP processing centers replicate the functions of the organization's primary processing center in a virtualized environment, in which the data platform and infrastructure is delivered to the organization as a service for a fee. Such 3P-POP processing center solutions typically involve a vendor that is commercially distinct from the customer-facing organization, and under contract or agreement to provide the required processing service for the organization as directed, typically when incoming processing requests exceed the capacity of the organization's primary processing center.
One problem with the use of such 3P-POP processing centers is that the 3P-POP processing centers themselves can be overwhelmed with client requests for data or information, and as a consequence, customers, employees and business partners may still experience significant delays in processing service. The organization may contract with multiple 3P-POP processing centers to provide support, but that is of little help unless the organization's primary processing center can allocate processing requests to 3P-POP processing centers that can handle the increased load. Further, since 3P-POP processing centers often support overflow processing requests from more than one organization, the ability of the 3P-POP processing centers to handle the additional load depends on factors that are not within the control of the organization.
Additionally, 3P-POP processing centers are designed, owned, and controlled by third parties, and as such, often cannot easily communicate with the organization's primary processing center because of incompatible vendors or the equipment that is used to build the processing center itself. This lack of compatibility prevents feedback or other communication between the organization's primary processing center and the 3P-POP processing centers, which limits the ability to manage the traffic being directed between the organization's primary processing center and the 3P-POP processing centers. What is needed is a traffic distribution system that operates well within disparate environments such as those including 3P-POP processing centers, where there is no feedback provided from the 3P-POP processing center to the organization's processing center.